12 Interesting Facts about Boron: Metalloid Chemical Element Atomic Number 5

1 Boron is a dull name for an element that produces a striking green flame when burned, is found in meteorites and is essential to human health.

2 French chemist Geoffroy the Younger first identified boron’s presence in borax, (a chemical composite containing boric salt) in 1732, but it was Sir Humphry Davy along with chemists Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard that first isolated boron from borate in 1808 with the use of potassium. Davy called it ‘boracium’ at the time.

3 Boron was used in Tudor cosmetics, notably by Queen Elizabeth I, as the powder is soluble in fluid. When mixed with oil and ground egg shell, created a white face powder, ideal for producing a porcelain and virginal look, in fashion at the time.

The Element Boron

4 Boron Facts and Boron Nitrite

Atomic number: 5
Atomic weight: 10.8111u
State: metalloid crystalline solid
Category: Metalloid
Melting point: 2,076°C (3,769°F)
Boiling point: 3,297°C (7,101°F)

5 Boron is seldom found in pure form, but has to be extracted (with difficulty) from borate minerals and composites such as borax, kernite or colemanite.

6 If boron was combined with hydrogen, the resultant boron nitride crystals would be almost as hard as diamonds and much cheaper to produce.

7 Boron is added to glass to provide heat resistance coating for fiberglass. Similarly, breakage due to sudden temperature changes can be reduced by adding boron to polymers, ceramics and borosillicate glass.

Health Benefits of Boron

Boron Symbol

8 Despite being toxic to arthropods, boron is essential to health in mammals, as it has a mild antibiotic action and strengthens cell walls. This is why boron is safe to use in pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides and detergents.

9 Boron is used to manage arthritis, osteoporosis and menopause. This is partially due to its assistance in the uptake of calcium and magnesium in the body. Boron can be found in beans, lentils, soy, tomatoes, avocado and nuts and even beer.

Properties of Boron

10 Silly putty (sometimes known as ‘thinking putty’) contains boron which provides the material’s flexibility as well as firmness when handled.

11 Borax was introduced to the west via the old Silk Road, an ancient pass that linked China with Europe, when boric salt was first mined in Tibet. The name boron is taken from the old Arabic name buraq, which simply means ‘borax’.

12 As boron is a good absorber of neutrons and is stable in volatile conditions, is used in nuclear reactors, neutron detecting and radiation shields in nuclear plants.